Religious house — Augustinian canons in Ballypheasan

Situated on a gentle SE-facing slope within Roscommon town. The monastery was founded by St Comán, supposedly a disciple of St Finnian of Clonard, in the 6th century. Comán was a son of Faolchú and is reliably connected with the Dál nAraidhe of north-east Ulster. He died in 747 and his feastday is celebrated on 26th December. The 'law of St Comán' was proclaimed over much of Connaught in 771, 779 and 792 (Ó Rian 2011, 216-7). The monastery may have been raided by the Vikings in 807 (AU, 263), but this is unlikely. However, it was burnt in 823 and again in 1134. The processional cross known as the cross of Cong was made for this church, possibly at the church, in 1123 as a gift from Turlough O'Conor. The church became the diocesan centre after the Synod of Kells in 1152, but this honour had been moved to Elphin (RO016-127001-) by 1172. The Augustinian Rule was adopted c. 1140, and the church continued in use as an Augustinian house until the Dissolution, although the dedication may have changed to St. Mary's in the 13th century when it might also have had a community of nuns. Coarbs continue into the thirteenth century at least. It was plundered by the de Burgos in 1204 and 1260, and was burnt in 1235 and 1247 and 1360 (Gwynne and Hadcock 1970, 191-2, 323). After the monastery was suppressed c. 1540 its land was granted to Sir Nicholas Malby (Hoare 2014), who transformed the Castle (RO039-043006-) into the fortified house (RO039-043010-) also on the site today. The monastery consisted of at least one stone church and a round tower, which was burnt in 1050 by the men of Breiffne (AFM vol. 2, 859). It is described as a ruined church, hall and cloister in 1578 (Bradley and Dunne 1988a, 97-8). It was centered on the site now occupied by the Church of Ireland church of St. Comán, which was built in the 18th century and where some fragments of transitional 12th century masonry (RO039-043008-) are incorporated into the tower. The head of a 13th century lancet window is kept within the church. The present E gable has a three-light decorated window, much of which is original, while internally its embrasure has a decorated surround with pinnacles, dating from c. 1450. Inside the church there is a wall memorial to the Gunnings of Castlecoote dated 1717 that might have been moved from Fuerty church (RO039-063001-), and to Lovelaces of Ballybride dated 1723. There is also a wall memorial (RO039-043017-) dated 1696 to John and Catherine Fleming of Roscommon, although it may have been moved to here. An inscribed slab (dims 0.93m x 0.41-0.65m; T 0.06-0.15m) (RO039-043009-) which dates to the 9th century asks for a blessing on Ioseph and is now in the Roscommon County Museum. A cross-slab (RO039-043016-) (dims 1m x 0.7m; max. T 0.13m) decorated with the stem of a cross and traces of ring also has a panel of interlace and roundels at the edge of the stone (Siggins, 1996; Barton 1996). The latter was moved to a position against the S wall of the present church in 2013. Both were found in the rectangular graveyard (RO039-043007-) (dims c. 80m E-W; c. 45m N-S) which also contains fragments of the masonry of a large Gothic window, and a cross-slab (RO039-043028-) with a crudely-incised latin cross and a single-line ring is used as a grave-marker. Human bones were uncovered in Goff St. to the E c. 1917. The holy well of St. Comán's Vat (RO039-047----) is c. 600m to the NW. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revised upload: 17 December, 2014